National Treasure II: The Masons Journey
by Sakura793
Summary: Another adventure...beyond the movie to Cairo, even further into the character's backgrounds and new locations, more suspense, interlocking ingenius American history just like the movie, and more..acknowleged to be the perfect sequel..
1. Chapter I The Interview

National Treasure II: Mason's Journey –

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author's Note: Welcome to the beginning of my National Treasure Fanfiction. I fell in love with this movie the very first time that I saw it and wanted to learn some of the real history they used in it to play out the ingenious clues and history used to create this legend. I did some history and in my searching I found some information I could use to create a sequel. Again, this story has nothing to do with Disney but with my own findings. If anything stated is incorrect or drawn out in any way it was intentional and overlooked. Thank you for considering reading my Fanfiction and I fully support your reviews 

Chapter One – The Interview

"This just in, we've received news that just 5 months ago the Declaration of Independence was stolen from the National Archives. The FBI purposely kept this information from the public for security reasons; however we have the full top secret report to you coming to you live from the National Archives in Washington D.C. where we talk to Dr. Abigail Chase about the story." Shannon Willis said into the television camera to the receiving end of the broadcast.

Suddenly the camera shifts to the steps of the Archives building where a reporter is standing next to Dr. Chase, "Hi, my name's Christine Berkley and I'm here with Dr. Abigail Chase who is going to tell us the story of this recent disturbing news involving the Declaration of Independence," she turns to Abigail, "So, Dr. Chase what is the real story behind this incident that is sweeping the nation through rumors?"

Abigail, a little nervous behind the camera nods as the reporter puts the microphone in front of her, "Well, first of all I should cover why the Declaration was stolen in the first place. Some people believed there was a treasure map on the back. However, anyone who has actually examined it would throw out this possibility immediately, but I personally witnessed the map discovery with the man responsible for stealing the document, Benjamin Franklin Gates. Now, I know you are probably thinking, 'you had something to do with the disappearance of the Declaration of Independence?' My answer would be that I didn't know the reason this man wanted it so badly. In his defense, he was protecting it from a man named Ian Howe who was his partner in treasure hunting and who intended to steal it himself and probably would have destroyed it afterwards. The government has forgiven Gates for his reckless act mainly because of his good intentions and help in putting Ian behind bars. Now, the map on the back led us to the location of an ancient treasure which is currently being distributed throughout every museum around the world, including the museums in Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt. I also might add that the finding of the treasure has gone to the entire Gates family with the assistance of Riley Poole. I'm very pleased to say that because of the delay of the Cairo museum's opening of the exhibit, tomorrow morning Gates, Poole, and I will be attending the opening of the exhibit in Cairo."

"Thank you for that remarkable story Dr. Chase." Christine turns back to the camera and repositions the microphone in front of her, "We'll bring more of the story to you tonight when we talk with Agent Peter Sadusky, the man in charge of bringing justice in this incredible treasure hunt, back to you in the studio Shannon."

"That was really good; you should get a career in the movies." Ben said, coming out from behind the camera man.

"I hope you're joking, I would have more courage at a History Conference in front of 2,000 men than 200,000,000 people watching on live television." Abigail replies, hurriedly walking out of the limelight.

"No really, you've got talent." Ben sarcastically shot back putting an arm around Abigail as she exited the camera's view.

As they walked in the direction of Ben's car they watched as the camera crew packed up their station news van and exited the parking lot of the building.

"Well, I guess we have to get packed and ready for our long journey to the land of the pharaohs." Abigail said, striding over to the car door, waiting for Ben to unlock it.

"At least we'll be able to share our findings with the world." He replied, finally clicking the button to open the vehicle.

"Are you excited about going and returning to your new job at the University of Washington D.C?" Abigail chimed in, entering the car.

As Ben got in, he thought about the question, it was one of his dreams to teach American History for a living after his first dream to find the Treasure of the Free Masons, "I guess you could say I'm intrigued by this opportunity to share my knowledge with the world." He said, starting the car and back out of the parking lot.

They made their way back to their new estate located on the outskirts of Washington D.C. into the beloved countryside only to find that Riley was waiting at their house peeking in through the windows of the old historic brick manor.

"Riley, are you packed?" Ben called out from inside the car.

Riley turned around suddenly, startled by the surprise and nearly falling down the white wooden steps leading up to the front door, "I am, I'm staying at your house tonight right?"

Abigail quickly glanced at Ben as she got out of the car, "Since when did we make that arrangement?" she asked, allowing Ben to catch up with her before she went up to the door.

Ben bit his lip and playfully put his arm around her waist, "I thought it would be easier to have him already here when the private jet picks us up in the backyard."

Abigail stopped in her tracks right on top of the welcome mat at the foot of the elaborately decorated entrance, "If I didn't know any better I would think you were hiding something from me."

Riley and Ben both smirked and turned to each other, "What makes you think that?" Ben said to Riley. Riley gulped holding his breath, trying not to make it seem to obvious.

Once inside Abigail still wanted to know what was going on, "What are you hiding?" she asked confronting Ben, "please?" she added, plastering a puppy dog plea on her face.

Ben leaned down a bit to match Abigail's height and kissed her forehead gently, "What's a secret if I tell it to you?"

Riley nodded, already knowing Ben's plan, "He's got really good reasons for keeping it a secret, in fact they are beneficial reasons."

Later that night everyone ate the fabulous dinner Abigail prepared in the beautifully American colony style dining room.

"How early we got to get up?" Riley asked yawning and patting his full stomach.

"4 o'clock tomorrow morning so please don't lag behind." Ben said directly back to his pal.

"Oh yeah, say it precisely to me….as if she wont take long." He replied pointing at Abigail.

During the rest of their dinner Abigail and Riley exchanged evil glances to each other from across the table.

After going to bed Abigail and Ben kissed each other goodnight while Riley slept in one of the guest rooms.


	2. Chapter II Cairo

Chapter Two – Cairo

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author Note – Now I know that the first chapter is a little lagging, very slow moving, and probably just about the most uninteresting chapter I've made. This basically is because I wanted to give that interview fully instead of just saying 'the reporter asked questions' and to introduce all of the situations I'll be dealing with in the climax of my story. This chapter is going to cover a 'quick' look at the museum at Cairo and the contribution with the artifacts found.

As planned the jet picked them up the next morning, which included a fight to drag Riley out of bed.

They flew for fifteen hours which incorporated many napping moments and scenic views of the navy blue ocean. It was around 4 o'clock that afternoon when they landed safely at Cairo's tiny airport on a short runway.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Riley whispered holding back his sickness as he stumbled down the jet's steps.

Abigail and Ben followed Riley slowly. Abigail more slowly than Ben because she had just woken up and was very groggy.

As they descended a woman approached them, they believed she was the museum's curator because of the attire she was wearing.

"Hi my name is Evelyn and as you may have already guessed I am the Cairo museum's curator here to direct you straight to the conference for the opening of the huge exhibit you've contributed to."

They all headed to the huge audience awaiting their entrance. Thousands of residents of Cairo and other foreigners from around the world stood in front of the great museum ready to see the exhibit for the first time. It would also be the very first time the three of them would be able to study the very treasure they found. The first to walk up the podium was Ben who gladly wanted the chance to express how he felt about his contribution,

"Hi, my name is Benjamin Franklin Gates and I'm sure you already know that I am a part of the Gate's family known throughout the government as the family with the crazy idea about the conspiracy theory within American's past. Since this treasure has been found I hope you all think differently about the Gate's family legacy. First off, I would like to thank you all for attending this historical event and hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed finding it. Secondly, I would like to acknowledge my companions Abigail Chase and Riley Poole who also gave their help in finding the treasure. Last, but not least I would like to take a minute to invite Abigail Chase up here a moment." Riley quickly pushed Abigail up next to Ben. Ben leaned down toward the ground, kneeling on his knee. "Abigail Ann Chase, I know I haven't known you for too long of a time, however, I fear that if I didn't get the chance now to devote myself to asking you this than I wouldn't get the chance. I've felt myself open up more than ever since I met you and you've given me hope in my life,' he takes out a tiny black box, opens it up, and reveals a diamond ring, "Would you partake in the greatest journey of our lives to be married?"

Caught up in the surprise, Abigail remained quiet for a few minutes but for what seemed like hours. Everything that had happened reflected heavily on what was going through Abigail's mind. She was excited, nervous, and taken aback by the way that Ben had gone about asking her the question she had been waiting to hear from him for a long time. She already had planned out her answer for three months since they started going out. "Yes, I will." She finally replied, less dramatically than Ben. Even though she adored the lovely words he had expressed to her at that moment she felt less capable of coming up with such a thoughtful reply.

Ben smiled, knowing that from this point on he was going to be starting a new chapter in his life, one that didn't include loneliness and bachelor qualities.

Riley grinned in the background, eyeing the people in the audience who all seemed to be clapping as he now realized. Suddenly a thought struck him, "Ben, whoa wait a minute…am I still going to be staying with you? You know I already sold my apartment.." Riley's words seemed to trail on and on, but Ben and Abigail's attention was focused mainly on each other, ignoring everyone else around them.

When the opening was over the heroes retreated to a lovely five star hotel nearby, one of the newest editions to the historic Cairo village. They all shared their thoughts on the future of Mr. and Ms. Benjamin Gates. Along with that subject, Riley got his answer on whether or not the plans would change due to the marriage of his closest friends.

"You're welcome to stay with us Riley. I don't think there is anywhere we would rather have you." Abigail chimed drinking a cup of tea at the hotel lobby's café.

"I'm glad to here you say that. For a minute there I was worried you'd forgotten poor ole little me." Riley said, overreacting purposefully.

Ben looked up around the café from his cup of freshly brewed tea, "I had been planning this for a while now. Although I wasn't sure going through with this proposal in Cairo was such a romantic idea. Something more along the lines of a private dinner in Washington D.C. Park in front of the Washington Monument would have been a better setting." Ben thought out loud.

"Why didn't you?" Abigail asked curiously.

"It's just what you would expect, that's why. I figured the best way to keep things from being figured out is to be less suspicious to the people you are trying to fool. I guess you could call it a way that I could tell you, without telling you." He replied, quite pleased with his explanation. He loved leaving the mind flustered with so much knowledge.

After their dinner they headed up to their rooms and all took long enduring sleeps and not waking up until 5am the next morning. The same private jet that had picked them up from Ben's manor was now picking them back up for their journey home.

When the plane landed in the sparkling knoll of grass located in the back of the Gate residence they all stepped out, collecting their baggage, and waving the jet out for clearance.

What they encountered next left them all in shock. Upon entering the house they noticed things were not as they had left them. Books off the bookshelves, broken glass, and pieces of torn linen lined the hard wood floors of the beautiful house. They quickly checked to make sure nothing was missing and came to the conclusion that nothing was stolen.


	3. Chapter III Escape

Chapter III - Escape

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author Note – For my fans who have written some really nice reviews I'm very thankful you take so much interest in my work writing this fanfiction for you. I would like to also reply that I was thinking of the name Evelyn from 'The Mummy' but I guess it's your choice, the reader, to decide whether you believe it is that character or just a curator who happens to share the same name. ;) I'll be sending you a lot more chapters in the next few days; this will be a great way for me to pass my time this summer. Oh, btw I'm working on reading up on some more American History. Now, in case you're wondering how I know what I know I used the internet, books, and my knowledge from American History Honors. Thanks once again for your support and I hope to hear more reviews from you all in my future chapters…

"Who would do such a thing?" Abigail asked, starting to clean up the glass from her favorite glass figurine.

Ben and Riley looked at each other and instantly knew what the other was thinking. Riley grabbed the television remote and turned to the local news.

"Breaking News has just been reported to us here at news channel 5. Ian Howe, a man charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, and trespassing on government property escaped prison just last night hiding in a laundry basket and carted out of the prison. Proof of this remarkable easy escape came when guards on patrol found a half-empty laundry cart lying in a ditch just one mile outside the penitentiary. Authorities are not sure whether this man is armed and dangerous, however, if you have any information about this man you are urged to call the FBI." The woman announcer pointed to a small television behind her indicating the prison photo of Ian Howe.

"He escaped from prison?" Abigail half shrieked. Ben hurriedly went to his future wife and tried to calm her, "He won't do anything."

"Ben, you sent him to prison. That isn't just something you forgive and forget. I mean look what he's done so far." Abigail argued, looking down at the mess around her feet.

"Why would he have come here though? I mean theoretically speaking he probably already knew about our trip to Cairo, right? They have television in prison I would hope." Riley said, trying to walk through what curtains half-survived the wreck.

"Riley, amazingly you've got a point. I'm sure they would have some way of knowing what is going on outside in the world, if not by television, by newspaper. So than why did Ian come here?" Ben asked aloud, trying to come up with a legible answer.

"Maybe he was looking for something?" Riley said, just throwing out replies.

Abigail sat down on a nearby chair that looked undamaged and sighed aloud, "Looks like our lives will never be peaceful."

"Well, if Ian was after something I'm not sure what he would find of much interest here, unless…" Ben quickly headed up the manor's winding white staircase making a right into the master bedroom.

"I hope its still there." He muttered as he headed for his bedside table. Inside, Ben managed to push his hand far enough in to reach the small case he insisted on keeping after the treasure discovery.

Heading back downstairs with the small case he thought wildly about the possibilities he missed something very important that Ian had figured out.

"I have a feeling he was after these." Ben said, opening the case, and taking out the spectacles used to read the map on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

"Why?" Riley asked overlooking the glasses.

Abigail shook her head, "I thought we were done with this mess."

"I have no idea this time. I don't know what we could have overlooked, and we have to take into consideration how much time Ian has devoted in prison to work out any flaws and possibilities we never thought of before. I don't doubt that he has also had access to a library where he could brush up on his knowledge of American history." Ben replied to Riley.

"What should we do then?" Riley asked curiously, unsure about the outcome of this turmoil.

Before either of them could answer each other a seriously dangerous thought crossed Ben's mind, "What if the glasses we're not just meant to read the Declaration of Independence?"

Abigail and Riley looked at Ben with surprise, quite take aback by he unlimited possibilities. "What do you mean?" Abigail asked, intrigued by the chance.

"Well, many masons signed other documents during the same time as the Declaration of Independence. My money is on the original Constitution of the United States, which if my history is deemed truly credible is that the Declaration was written first and the Constitution followed shortly after. Now, the masons wouldn't need another document to hide the map, however, what if other pieces were left behind, historical pieces of history?"

Riley, who was already lost, crinkled his forehead in confusion, "You mean lost fragments of history?"

Ben kneeled down on a pillow with feather eroding from the side of it, "Yes, the locations of forgotten tombs, civilizations, sunken ships, other buried treasure, etc. There are so many possibilities aside from these few."

Abigail cringed, "You're not seriously going to ask me to get you a private viewing with the Constitution of the United States, are you?"

Ben grinned towards his wife, trying to lighten the tenseness in the room, "The sooner this is all resolve, the sooner our lives can continue in the direction that they were meant to be lead in."

Ben's sweet words once again got to Abigail who merely just sighed and nodded, focusing her eyes on another item in the room.

"At least we're not going to be stealing anything this time." Riley said with a kind of relief sounding sigh.

All three of them emitted a small short chuckle that came and left quickly, leaving the room quiet and motionless. It wasn't for another hour that they were all ready to confront their new mission.

They all got into Ben's car and drove to the National Archives building. When they got there they all went directly to Abigail's office, mainly to get clearance for both Ben and Riley. It was harder than Abigail thought to get the clearance for either of them, most likely because of their past theft involving the so-called Declaration of Independence. However, when all was sorted out and a short amount of time was granted for each of them they all scurried down to the lower levels of the facility.


	4. Chapter IV Redefining History

Chapter Four- Redefining History

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author's Note: I would like to say I have seriously enjoyed writing this. I know some of the things I write look as though they are unorganized but it's probably because I write my ideas down so fast. I mean to do go back and change things but sometimes what I want to say is hard to put in easier words so I leave it that way. I really appreciate everyone's support with my story and believe me I'll be writing A LOT more. Any suggestions I'm welcome to them. ;)

Lying on an already prepared table exposed into a well-lit, air filtration room was the 4 page historical legend that had shaped the government into what it was today.

"Now boys I expect you to play nice with the equipment, alright?" Abigail announced lifting up a thin piece of saran wrap that was covering the delicate document.

Ben took a deep breath and reached into his pocket and retrieved the lens in order to find out the truth. Abigail and Riley both held their breaths, hoping that they had nothing to worry about and that everything up to this point was a dream.

As Ben slipped the glasses once again upon his face he felt as though he was unlocking another key to the same past, answering questions that had already been resolved, however, his eyes drifted down upon the parchment and widened at what he saw.

"This is unbelievable. It reads… In need of a Great Symbol, the Threads of Time were nimble, in order to show off our Nation, we needed to look to one Mason, into Battle we stride, with this Pennant at our Side, Beneath the intricate Design, here you will find what We left behind." As Ben examined the words closer he realized the important words were all capitalized, making it easier for him to sort out the points he had to look at.

Abigail and Riley waited patiently while Ben walked back and forth mumbling out interpretations of the passage.

"Great Symbol indicates something great in history. Threads of Time could refer to something in material that would last over the ages. Showing off the Nation probably means a symbol of the Nation. The involvement of one specific Mason had to have been important. This symbol was taken in battle at our side and survived. Underneath the design is where we'll find what we're looking for. Now, if I'm not mistaken, one symbol taken into battle would be the Original Flag of the United States sewn by Betsy Ross. It would make sense, probably also suggesting that the mason referred in the passage could be talking about her." Ben looked toward Abigail who started shaking her head almost immediately.

"I don't think so Ben. I don't have control over the American History Museum. You know I only have control over the National Archives. What do you have me do?" she quickly replied to Ben's eager face.

Riley sighed, "Please don't tell me we have to steal something again..."

"Absolutely not, the original American Flag is very delicate, even more so than the Declaration. The Museum is in the process of preserving it to make it better for future generations. If one bit of it is moved you could risk the deterioration process to speed up and take its toll on the flag. I'm sorry but I couldn't allow you to take that chance." Abigail spoke up, leaning on one of the glass windows surrounding them.

"What if all we wanted to do is look through these glasses upon it?" Ben suggested, "Not to touch it or work with it hands on, but to examine it from afar?"

"It's not on display anymore, so what you're asking for is just a private viewing?" Abigail asked, somewhat discouraged by the whole idea.

Ben grinned evilly, "No, not exactly."

Abigail, a little frightened blinked, "Then what do you mean?"

"You'll be asking for the private viewing alone…" He replied, moving closer to Abigail.

"I think we've overstayed our visit…" Riley said, watching as three FBI agents walked into the room. One of whom he recognized as Agent Peter Sadusky.

'Now, I know we leveled with you once Ben, however, you're taking it a little too far this time. I thought I told you government property was strictly off limits after your little bargain." Sadusky said, eyeing the Declaration, making sure that it was still there, "Don't you think we're a little suspicious of why you're here?"

Riley started to move to the corner shadow of the room, trying not to draw much attention while Ben and Abigail nervously explained themselves.

"Well, you see Agent Sadusky, we have reason to believe that there is more information located on different documents and items of U.S history." Abigail stated plainly, avoiding too much detail unlike Ben who she knew would elaborate the truth.

He nodded, overlooking both of them trying to read their real intentions. It didn't work too well, even though he half believed the story he had a feeling something wasn't right, "Well, I'm sorry but I have to escort Gates and Poole out of this building immediately." He replied to Abigail who nodded understandingly following them out.

Once the three of them were outside the agents left them and returned inside the archives building. Riley believed they were returning to make sure nothing was stolen or tampered with, "Just goes to show you that we're not trusted anymore, even as the finders of the Mason's treasure." He said, kicking his foot against the side of the pavement.

Abigail looked up at Ben who stood on the edge of the curb, overlooking the street.

Suddenly from around the corner a green van came around the corner driving at abnormal speeds aiming at Ben. Abigail shrieked as Ben nearly got clipped on the side of the road. Luckily Riley was near him, pulling him back away from the point of impact much like he had done for her before.

As the van went to the intersection it made a sharp turn toward them once again.

Ben, Abigail, and Riley all knew at once that the van belonged to Ian, They all ran into the parking lot eyeing Ben's car. Literally jumping into the car they sped out of the lot onto the streets.

Before they knew it right behind them some shots were fired.

"Looks like Ian got himself a new team." Ben said shifting the wheel sharply down an alley.

Another round of gunfire quickly was heard, this time puncturing holes in the windows of the car. Abigail ducked as the glass shattered everywhere along with Riley who lifted the hood of his jacket to shield himself from the pieces.

"Do you think he planned this?" Riley asked, trying to hold onto his seat as they just clipped a lamppost.

Ben, too occupied on driving, tried to make a few minutes in order to think about the possibility, "He might have deliberately messed up our house to make it look like he was searching for something when really he knew we would think he was after something and think about what it could be, knowing we would investigate…he followed us to the archives in order to learn if the Constitution really had any information on it."

"That would explain why nothing was taken the first time. I do believe that Ian wouldn't have overlooked your bedside table so easily. He probably deliberately left it there in order for you to find and think he was up to something." Abigail said, trying desperately not to fall out of her seat.

The sounds of sirens started to appear in the distance and everyone began to become nervous.

"Whoa, cops? This isn't good…can you let me off here?" Riley said just as a cop car bolted out from the intersection right in front of Ben, "On second thought keep going!"

Ian showed no signs of stopping at this point, even with four cop cars on his tail.

"How are we going to get out of this one?" Riley asked, trying to hide his face from the police car coming up on his side.

Ben quickly developed an idea, swerving the car down a flight of steps leading into the park. Just as he thought the cops didn't follow. When he reached a good amount of trees he parked the car quickly and instructed everyone to exit, "Listen its our luck that Ian hasn't caught up with us but its only a matter of minutes before he shows up followed by the police. We're going to ditch the car and head to the Museum of American History." Ben stated, pointing to a taxi nearby that seemed to have stopped to let out a passenger.

Abigail was the first to reach the taxi, giving the driver the directions and a tip to drive as quickly as possible.

Watching the park get further and further away Riley finally left out a sigh of relief, "That was too close. Remind me never to be in the car with you Ben when you're being chased by convicts, alright?" Riley asked, not even trying to be humorous.

Abigail pointed to the museum as it came into view, "Give me thirty minutes. By then I will have seen all that is need to be seen."

As the taxi stopped Abigail advanced up the steps, carrying the glasses Ben had slipped her as they got out of the taxi. Ben and Riley hid behind two pillars holding up a part of the building, deciding to wait for her return.


	5. Chapter V New Discoveries

Chapter Five – New Discoveries

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author's Note: I have come up with some really good ideas, don't underestimate my research too much because I have something up my sleeve. ;) I intend to come back with some really good thoughtful information trying to incorporate as much history as I can.

As Ben watched Abigail proceed up the steps of the American History Museum he reached into his pocket, feeling that he had a few dollars stashed away. Interested in knowing how much he would have in order to pay another taxi driver, he pulled the money out. _A five dollar bill and three dollars should be enough to take us a few blocks. _He thought in his head. Before putting the money away something located on one of the dollars bill struck his attention. It had been something he never noticed before that flabbergasted him almost immediately. Everything on the back of the one dollar bill represented the number 13. For example, the 13 stars above the eagle, 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 letters in "Annuit Coeptis", 13 letters in "E Pluribus Unumi", 13 bars on the shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch of 13 fruits, and 13 arrows. He also noticed that if the pyramid was turned upside down you would be able to locate letters forming the word "mason". (go to photobucket dot com under album Sakura22for image _dollar.jpg_, it should be one of the first ones)

Ben knew that the number thirteen symbolized the Star-Spangled Banner of thirteen colonies and, the main reason they were in front of the Museum of American History, however, he realized he might of overlooked the clue that could have led them their quicker. Gate's knowledge also led him to remember that thirteen was also associated, along side the all-seeing eye, as being symbols of the Illuminati and freemasonry.

Riley who had been watching Ben stare at the dollar for over a minute finally spoke up, "Are you looking for imperfections of the dollar bill Ben?"

Ben looked up with a sigh, "It's just that there are clues on this dollar that could have led us here much quicker had we known to look for them."

The information seemed to upset Ben other than lift his spirits, mainly because he didn't locate them sooner when it had been within his grasp for so long.

After a few minutes of harking on the fact he'd misjudged the simple things in life he went back to looking out over the crowds of people entering and exiting the building.

Abigail, who had already gained access to view the Star-Spangled Banner, was now on her way down the hall to the very room in which it was kept.

The moment she turned the corner into the bright, white room she took into awe how much history had taken its toll on the poor flag. Half the flag was missing along with the cut out piece in the middle that had been given away. _I will be lucky if I obtain any useful information here._ Abigail thought pulling out the glasses that she had tucked up her sleeve. As her escorts left and she was left with the people who were preserving the flag, she put on the spectacles and quickly shifted her eyes over the fabric. Surprised, Abigail pulled the glasses off slowly, nothing.

Nothing showed up at all underneath or above anything on the flag. After double checking and inching every few feet around the material she finally came to the conclusion that it was likely it was a dead end.

She thanked the head director of the museum for his time in allowing her to view the banner, but left the building with a look of gloom.

Once outside she found Ben and Riley and explained to them her dismay.

"This can't be." Riley said, holding the back of his head as looking at his two companions in disbelief.

Ben thought for a moment, without really panicking, about what the Star-Spangled Banner stood for, "What if it's not the flag we're supposed to read?"

Abigail shook her head, "What are you talking about?"

Ben quickly sat down on one of the museum's steps, followed by Riley and Abigail and explained his findings on the dollar.

"What do you conclude, Ben?" Riley asked, playing with his shoelace.

"There have always been theories on who actually founded the Star-Spangled Banner as there has been no evidence it was Betsy Ross. For example, the second most popular theory to that of Betsy was that American Naval Hero, John Paul Jones, and Francis Hopkinson actually founded the flag. Now, Francis Hopkinson was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and might I add, a mason," a grin started to appear on Ben's face briefly, "This links the banner to the Declaration with the freemasons."

"Where does this lead us?" Abigail asked, starting to get excited.

Ben raised his hand to his temples and massaged them, relaxing his mind, "Well, Francis Hopkinson was said to have made the first real American opera entitled, _"The Temple of Minerva". _Now, Minerva was the Roman goddess of war, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, crafts, and the inventor of music."

"Sounds like a talented woman, with too much time on her hands." Riley chimed in, sighing in his bored condition.

"Here's a piece of useful information," Ben announced, acting as though he was giving a highly respected speech, "The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which was founded in 1780, features Minerva in their seal as their central figure. Early members included Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and John Quincy Adams. You know as well as I do that half of these men were masons which means this may be our next location of interest." He finished, feeling greatly proud of his knowledge.

All Riley and Abigail could do at this point was take in the overall greatness of the information and how right everything seemed to play together.

After quickly renting a car and looking out for Ian, they made their way to the Academy located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It took a while to get there from Washington D.C but they made it through the night, arriving early the next morning.


	6. Chapter VI Unexpected

Chapter Six – Unexpected

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author's Note: thank you so much for your very kind remarks everyone. I'm really pleased myself with the outcome, so far, from my story. I anticipate writing a lot more. I'm sorry about the delay of chapters the past few days, however, I'm back and ready to give you more…

Everyone held their breath as the Academy of the Arts and Sciences came into range, not because of the majestic gardens drawing your eyes to the building, but because of the guests parked in front of the topiary.

As they drove up further, Ben rolled down his window and quickly knew that the green van was familiar, yet, it was too late to drive away. He knew if he drove away it was only a matter of time before they had to face him.

"Why, hello Ben." Ian said casually walking up to Ben's window.

Instantly Ben noticed the gun Ian was brandishing at his side, "We don't want any trouble." He managed to reply without hesitation.

Ian smirked, "We're not inviting trouble, are we?" He asked smugly in his English accent.

Abigail leaned over across Ben and spit at Ian in disgust, but before she could pull back away Ian exposed the pistol at her.

"Whoa…" Riley managed to say, keeping his eyes glued to the weapon while pushing further back in his seat.

"What do you want?" Ben finally asked, moving himself into the path of the gun.

"Well, first of all I'd like to thank you for leading us this far." He acknowledged, putting the gun back at his side, still acting casual.

"It was a trick." Abigail said, slowing shaking her head in dismay.

Ian smiled brightly, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. "Very clever girl, you're right. While I spent my share of five months in that godforsaken prison I thought and researched the possibility that maybe there was more than buried treasure out there. I mean, why would the founding fathers have gone through so much trouble to hide only _one_ secret? From there I knew that even if I did escape I couldn't just waltz up to any federal building without the cameras following me and sending me back to prison. I did the only thing I knew would lead me this far, bring _you_ into the adventure. So, once I escaped and learned you were off on foreign territory I invaded your house, messed it up a bit, and left. I hoped you would realize that I was after the glasses once you returned and start thinking about why I was after them. I know you too well Ben..." He finished, leaning up against Ben's car.

"That guy really likes to hear himself talk..." Riley whispered so that Ian couldn't hear.

"So you let _us_ lead you here…" Abigail replied, knowing they had.

"You're going to lead us to the next clue Ben, and one of my new team member's is going to be there when you find it. Jake, can you come here please?" Ian called over towards the van.

A few seconds later the van door slid open and a man appeared, dressed in black attire, with a fierce look upon his face.

"Did you happen to tell your new 'team' what happened to your last 'team', Ian?" Riley asked, biting the bottom of his lip.

Ian ignored the question as Jake strode up beside him, "You're going to go with them inside the building and find out the next clue. Once you obtain it bring them back here, understood?" He asked Jake, who nodded, then turned to Ben, "Understand?"

Ben concurred, recognizing that Jake too possessed a firearm.

Minutes later, Ben, Abigail, Riley, and Jake walked up the marble steps of the Academy building.

"So, what are we looking for?" Jake asked in his heavily Australian accent.

"We dun no mate." Riley replied jokingly toward Jake.

"Do you think that's funny?" Jake shot back.

"Um…no." Riley quickly said, avoiding the chance of being shot.

As they walked they were surprised no one was in site, "It's strange that no one is around." Abigail acknowledged.

"Look..." Ben said, pointing above them at a bright blue banner that read 'Annual Science Fair' indicating the current date underneath.

"Figures that is where everyone is at…" Riley retorted, scratching the back of his neck.

"We need to stop bandying about. Where is this so-called clue?" Jake harshly shot at the group.

Abigail looked in the direction of Ben, who seemed to be deep in thought. "Our last clue, the flag, had no clue directly on it but it stood for a symbol. It leads us here because of one of the people who founded the flag, Francis Hopkinson, who wrote the opera with _Minerva _in the title. Now, the symbol for this academy has _Minerva_ engraved in the emblem. Are we looking for that symbol Ben?" she asked, hoping that Ben was also thinking of a way to get them out of their tight spot.

Ben nodded, "It wouldn't be a removable item that could just be picked up and placed in a different location. It's probably going to be a part of the building itself, something like a crest perhaps."

After searching around the hallways and rooms nothing was located to even show any resemblance to their theory.

Suddenly a thought struck Ben, "Where is the most likely place you would find the opera's script '_The Temple of Minerva_'?"

"Online..?" Riley supposed, seeming serious.

"The library would probably be our best bet." Abigail replied, looking further down the hall for signs indicating the libraries location.

They hurriedly walked to the library, trying not to make too much noise down the empty, echoing hallways.

"I still think 'Online' was a good answer." Riley said under his breath as they rounded a corner.

At the very end of the corridor they realized they had made it to their destination. A gold plaque that read 'library' had given it away easily.

They swiftly approached the rotating glass door, much like business buildings had in New York.

Abigail was first through the doors, along side Riley, followed by Ben and Jake.

"Alright, where is the symbol?" Jake asked, agitated by the amount of time they were using up by gawking at the scenery.

"Well, providing that its a symbol of this magnitude it would probably be very visible." Ben replied, looking around on the surrounding walls.

"Uh, guys?" Riley chimed in.

Everyone ignored Riley as they tried to figure out where the image was located.

"So than it should be in plain site, why isn't it on the walls?" Abigail questioned.

"Ben…?" Riley said, once again trying to get their attention.

"Maybe it's smaller than we thought." Ben assumed, squinting to focus in on smaller sections of the ramparts.

"Yo Guys!" Riley shouted, sending a piercing echo through the library.

Everyone's attention quickly shifted to Riley, "Sorry, it was the only way to get your attention."

"What is it Riley?" Ben asked, sounding a little disturbed.

"Have you looked down at your feet lately?" Riley inquired, leaning on a nearby pillar.

"What are you…" As Ben looked down at his feet his doubt on Riley's intentions changed, "The symbol…" he said aloud, drawing Abigail and Jake's attention.

The group edged around the stunning, copper emblem etched into the marble flooring.

"There's _Minerva_." Abigail pointed out, getting on her hands and knees to view the image closer.

"Alright, hurry it up." Jake announced, pulling his gun out, mainly to show that he was still in charge.

Ben hastily shifted his eyes across the image looking for some sort of indication of their next clue. Out of the blue he realized that once he put his head further to the floor the image of an arrow could be found pointing to the wall where a plaque was located.

"There…" Ben said, pointing to the plate on the wall.

Once Ben got up and walked over to the wall a thought struck him. He put his hand to the metal and rubbed over it gently, the words on the plate read 'dedicated to the world's leading scientists, scholars, artists, and public leaders of today and tomorrow' with a notation underneath that read it was made in 1780. As his hand rubbed over the last number in '1780' he began tapping the plaque with his knuckles. It sounded hollow.

"That's not supposed to sound like that…" Abigail said, adding a little education into the matter.

"I know…perhaps…" Ben grasped the edges of the plaque, realizing that his fingers alone were not going to pull out the old plate by sheer human force. He went over to a nearby wall where he saw a glass case housing a fire axe.

After smashing the case he grabbed the axe and headed back over to the group, "This should do the trick…" he said as he thrusted the blade into the edge of the plaque, putting his might and Jake's strength into pulling the plate from the wall.

Before anyone could grab the plate it slapped the marble floor, cracking it.

"I hope no one heard that…"Riley said, looking back over his shoulder where the entrance to the library was.

"What do you see?" Abigail asked Ben, paying no heed to Riley.

Ben whisked his hand in the air, trying to clear the bit of dust that had accumulated in the air after he pried the commemorative inscription from the wall.


	7. Chapter VII The Find

Chapter Seven – The Find

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author's Note: I'm quite sorry it's been a while since I've been able to update, my grandmother just pasted away and it's been really hard for me to be able to write. Also, with me having to work night shifts it's difficult for me to write because during the day I go out and do things, night being my only time. However, let me reassure you you're in for a treat as the story progresses, a big surprise is what I shall promise you. Thank you for your patience….

As the dust cleared, Ben noticed a piece of parchment in the cubby-like hole."More documents?" Riley asked, sounding a little disappointed.

"No," Ben replied pulling the paper out and examining it better, "It's a map."

"An actual map, right, I mean it's not made of a series of random numbers left for us to decode?" Riley retorted, leaning against another pillar.

Abigail quickly overlooked the map with Ben, "Why does it illustrate the islands of the Caribbean?"

Ben slowly pulled out the infamous Benjamin Franklin eyeglasses and slipped them on the edge of his nose. Very carefully he skimmed across the map until he came upon some words at the top, "Words…they read… 'What you seek is not fool's gold, Port Royal is first as the search unfolds, written in Penn you'll find the clue, in This you might find something new.'

Taking off the glasses Ben rubbed his temples with his forefinger and thumb, "Alright, let's break this down… 'fool's gold' probably means this is not going to be a gold and riches search."

"How do you figure?" Riley chimed in with a look of pure confusion.

"Basically it's stating it isn't gold that us 'fools' are looking for. This is something else…" Ben came back with quickly, trying to make things easier for everyone to understand.

"Than what could it be?" Abigail asked, looking closer at the map's locations.

"There isn't enough here for me to decipher exactly what we're searching for. However, this indication of Port Royal…why would the map lead us here?." He stated.

"Do you think the map is wrong?" Riley asked striding up beside them to also get a glimpse of the map.

"I don't think it's wrong but Port Royal was a trading town surrounded by many other trading villages in that area with the threat of pirates. Nothing is really historically documented in that region. The only references you ever really receive from that area are the legends and folklore of pirates and fables of Blackbeard. " Ben thought aloud.

"Are you sure you didn't see anything else unusual about the riddle?" Abigail asked, trying to make more sense of the situation.

"'Penn' was capitalized and spelled P-E-N-N" retorted suddenly, looking as though he had just won the lottery.

"Can you share the excitement please?" Riley asked, grinning back at Ben sarcastically.

After a few seconds of getting over the sheer irony of the situation Ben let out a chuckle, "'Penn' is referring to Admiral William Penn or more nationally known as 'the founder of Pennsylvania'." Ben said.

"Ok…"Riley replied, motioning him to elaborate a little on the biography.

"Sir William Penn was a British Admiral who basically served in the first Dutch War and in 1654 was made commander of the fleet that sailed for the West Indies and captured Jamaica in 1655. His residence resided at Port Royal for quite a while." Ben declared, showing off his American History skills.

"You know Ben…you could make a fortune on Jeopardy." Riley supposed.

The comical essence of Riley's serious, yet humorous joke brought everyone's attention back to their surroundings. They all realized right away that they had spent way too much time occupying the library and that they were in danger of being noticed.

"It's time we leave, you have the clue Ben." Jake stated, pulling on the back of Riley's jacket to get the group's attention.

"Yo, watch the leather man…its part of the _1 percent_." Riley replied emphasizing the '_1 percent_', and slapping Jake's hand away, pulling on the edges of the rawhide material.

With a push and a shove Jake quickly got the three hostages back under his control using his weapon as a nice influence, "We haven't got the time to talk about our findings anymore…we'll finish this up outside. Move it!" he shouted.

Down the hall echoes bounced off the wall approaching them, this time they knew it wasn't their voices retracing down the corridor. The conclusion they drew was that the science fair was over and they were all going back to their routines.

Ben saw this as an opportunity as Jake was watching the shadows get larger on the wall from down the hallway he edge over behind him and tried not to let his shoes squeak on the floor. Once in length of a good leg reach he kicked the gun right out of Jake's hand.

They all watched the pistol slide across the marble, sounding like skaters across slick ice.

Abigail quickly hurried over to the gun, bending over, and grasping it firmly in her hands. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd held a gun having to work in the national archives with the threat of perpetrators the knowledge of some weaponry was required, "Don't move..." she said directly to Jake who froze instantly.

People started to enter the library and Ben started to realize it was only a matter of minutes before they were caught

"This is bad, right?" Riley asked, helping Ben tie Jake's hands together with his shoelaces.

"This will have to do…" Ben said aloud, ignoring Riley's remark.

"Leave him…"Abigail announced, grabbing both Ben and Riley by the arms and pulling them down a long corridor, away from where they originally entered, "There is another way…"


	8. Chapter VIII The Untold Story

Chapter Eight – The Untold Story

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author's Note: Glad you're all enjoying my writing, I love receiving your reviews! You are all so kind. I'm working hard to get out the next few chapters; I'm already in the process of writing the next 2. Thanks again for your kindness

As they ran in the direction Abigail led them, Ben and Riley stayed quiet while watching doors and paintings fly by in front of their eyes.

Finally when they came to a stop they all stared at a doubled door with an 'exit' sign hanging above their heads.

Just as Ben grabbed the door handles they all heard a loud scream echo towards them. They concluded that the inhabitants of the Academy had found Jake in the barren library probably running around with his hands tied.

Before they looked back to see if anyone had seen them, Ben grasped the door handles even tighter and turned the knobs.

The doors opened suddenly giving them the chance to hurry outside. Once outside they noticed they had exited through the back doors which gave them an advantage because they would go unnoticed by Ian.

"What do we do now?" Riley asked, taking a breather from all the running.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ben replied, also trying to catch his breath.

"Pack your bags boys; we're headed for the Caribbean." Abigail announced smiling.

After looking around at their surroundings for a few minutes they all looked at each other, "What now?" Abigail spoke up.

"We'd better pick up a taxi before we're spotted." Ben replied looking out over the nicely mowed lawn.

"How about we stay at my apartment for the night?" Riley asked, "It's near here."

Abigail and Ben looked at one another in pure disbelief, "You live in Massachusetts?"

Riley shook his head, "No, but I live in New York which is close to Massachusetts and might I add a heck of a lot closer than Washington D.C."

"You live in New York?" Ben asked, realizing he really didn't know his best friend.

"Ben, you didn't know that?" Abigail asked, sounding a little surprised.

"Ian handled the hiring of all the team members that were used in locating the Charlotte, I was never informed." He replied to Abigail.

"Remember that little cubicle you had said you found me in?" Riley asked Ben, " I worked in the weather department of one of the local news stations as a computer technician and analyst as well as the local weather navigator."

"So that is how you navigate and know so much about computers." Ben concluded, still in disbelief, "Although, I thought you were moving in with us."

"I am, everything is in boxes, but I'm sure it will be spacious enough to use for one night." He retorted.

After arguing about their next move they decided they would follow Riley's advice and head for his apartment.

They hailed a cab quickly and made their way for New York

Back at the Academy, after 30 minutes of trying to convince the students and professors he was an electrician looking for the wiring of the library and explaining that the shoelaces were of his assailant who stole his wallet; Jake slowly made his way out of the building quickly before suspicions followed.

Ian, who was pacing back and forth in front of his van, looked over at the body approaching him.

"They escaped." Jake stated, rubbing his wrists where the laces had blocked his blood.

Ian angrily attacked the side of the van with both of his palms, slapping the metal hard, "Damn."

"However, I do know where they will be heading, although, they took the clue with them," Jake replied, breathing heavily.

Ian, who was now smiling evilly, looked over to Jake, "Well done. Where is the location?" he asked clearly not giving much interest in the clue itself.

"The Caribbean Island housing the town Port Royal is where we'll be heading." Jake managed to say through his heavy breathing.

After a few minutes of talking about game plans they decided to finally call it a night and head back to their hiding place.

Back in the taxi with the three, Riley seemed to be sleeping with his head leaning far back against the cushioned padded seat while Ben, who seemed a little uneasy, watched Abigail look out the window at the passing cars, signs, and construction crews on the interstate. It never really occurred to him how much quiet, peaceful moments really made his think.

As he sat watching his soon-to-be-bride and yet-to-be wife, he began to think about all of the experiences he would encounter such as being a good husband and a decent father.

Hours later, after the three of them had allegedly fallen asleep out of pure exhaust, they were awoken by the honking of distant cars they knew all too well to be the sounds of the 'Big Apple'.

Large buildings of all shapes and sizes started to appear with random colorized lights and flashing signs, "Hey before we head on over to my place we should pick up some dinner. There is a really good Chinese take-out place around the corner here." Riley started half-speaking to the driver, who understood right away what Riley wanted him to do.

They made a quick right and parked on the side of the road where Riley took Abigail and Ben's order of Chinese. After picking up their order Riley returned to the taxi carrying the familiar Chinese style take-out boxes associated with the Oriental food.

After getting situated they headed for 'Riley's Crib' as he jokingly put it as they rounded another corner.

The apartment building appeared middle-sized to the rest of the buildings of New York, or so Ben supposed.

After tipping and paying the money for the taxi they all walked inside, carrying their Chinese dinner with little wooden chopsticks.

"Hey Chris," Riley said as he entered, acknowledging the man at the front desk, "Any mail?"

"Not that I recall sir, perhaps a few bills." The man replied.

"Then perhaps it's best if I leave there for the night. They can wait one more day. I've had enough bad news for one day." Riley retorted, chuckling a bit, "These are my companions, they'll be staying the night."

"It's a pleasure." Chris said directly to both Ben and Abigail.

They all boarded the elevator quietly, keeping to themselves as they ascended to each floor. The only sound they heard came from the bell that went off for each level.

When they made it to floor 20 they quickly entered apartment number 412.

As they crossed the threshold of Riley's dwelling Abigail and Ben watched as Riley flipped the light switch to reveal the barren, box-laden residence they half-expected.

"Nice place." Abigail said sarcastically.

"Thanks." Riley retorted with the same tone.

Ben eyed everything with his keen sense of discovery. His eyes shifted over the counter where an answering machine light that blinked periodically, "You have a message."

Riley walked over and pressed 'play' not even thinking about who could've left the message.

Suddenly a female voice came on the machine, echoing through the empty rooms, "Hey Riley, it's me Christie. I know it's been a while since we last talked, but ever since I saw you on TV I can't stop thinking about you. Call me so we can get together sometime." After the final words the machine beeped loudly, ending the voice mail.

With disturbing glances from both Abigail and Ben, Riley knew what they were thinking and could only give an embarrassing smile back to them as an explanation.

All at once, after taking a look around Ben noticed Riley's computer was still hooked up in one of the corners of the room, "I'm going to jump online and get us some airline tickets for tomorrow morning, alright Riley?"

His friend nodded at him and took a seat on the nearby couch that had been covered with bubble wrap. As he sat on the sofa the wrap created the well-known popping noise that sounded even louder in the barren area, "What a long day."

"Yes, but at least now we can rest and rejuvenate ourselves." Abigail wisely informed him.

Shortly after Ben booked the flight for the next day they all made sleeping arrangements. Riley pulled out a stowaway cot from the closet and generously offered his full size bed to Ben and Abigail, making sure they both pledged they wouldn't _do_ anything in the night.

Once situated in bed the lights went out and thoughts invaded their restless minds. None of their thoughts were as intense as Ben's thoughts of failure and danger. He believed they were dragging themselves deeper into the depths of great discoveries with much to lose. _What if going any further means the loss of all I care about or what if Ian kills only one and leaves everyone else to mourn their death? _These were only a few of the thoughts he encountered. However, what finally got his mind to rest was the fact that everything he was thinking were all 'What ifs' that weren't proven. Believing just that got him to sleep that night for a short while in peace.


	9. Chapter IX Commencement

Chapter Nine – Commencement

Declaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of the characters. That right belongs to the Disney Corporation.

Author's Note: I realize distance between Cambridge and New York is quite a far distance for a taxi, however, I have to admit I live in Florida and have never rode in one. I never thought about it. I will leave it as a taxi though because I really wanted to emphasize the New York's taxi system. We, here in Florida, really don't have any need for taxis…although I'm sure Jacksonville has a few…I live on the far outskirts of Jacksonville where there are pastures and cows…moo…lol…and no I don't live on a farm, I live in a gated community but we're surrounded by at least 2 farms. I'm telling you this just to give you the general idea of where I'm coming from in case I misuse any city-like qualities, even though I've been to Jacksonville quite a few times I'm sure that New York is completely different.

The following morning at 5am, the light was barely beaming through the large glass sliding doors to the balcony, not that any was expected in New York with the frequent fog and cloud coverage. The temperature outside was chilly and the forecast was a chance of snow.

Riley just happened to be the first awake of the three and decided to glide out onto the veranda for a little fresh air. As he stepped out he realized rather quickly that the bitter weather was far much colder than he expected, even with his navy blue flannel pajamas. He hurriedly jumped back inside, gliding the glass doors shut behind him.

The next area he occupied was the kitchen where decided he would make coffee. After rubbing his eyes to give himself more focus, he unpacked his coffeemaker and began making his favorite caffeinated coffee.

As the smell of the fresh, mountain grown beans circulated through each room the essence of a pure, relaxing feeling emerged.

Riley then strolled over to his radio and flipped the 'on' switch just as Abigail appeared from around the hall corner.

"Morning." she spat groggily.

Riley nodded, knowing if he tried to spark conversation before she had her coffee, he would probably end up dead.

As he thought, the first thing Abigail went for was the kettle of coffee, pouring it into a white mug she'd found in an open box on the counter, she figured, was most likely the very same place Riley had retrieved his cup.

As they both sat on the couch, listening to the radio, and drinking coffee a news bulletin shot through the stereo,

"…this just in, attempted murderer, Ian Howe, has been sighted in Cambridge, Massachusetts, unfortunately; however, he was not obtained by police. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts please contact the FBI immediately." The news reporter announced.

"At least we know Ian hasn't left Cambridge yet." Riley pointed out.

"Yes, but I don't doubt that Jake's told him everything already." Abigail replied, sighing.

A few minutes later, after finishing their coffee, Abigail, took their mugs and placed them in the kitchen sink for later rinse.

"Morning," Ben said sleepily, walking into the living room, "Are you all ready to begin are flight to the Caribbean?"

Abigail and Riley acknowledged to Ben that they were indeed all set and waited for him to drink his own coffee before they left, making sure they packed a few essentials before parting.

After taking the elevator down and making it to the lobby, once again they all gave their greeting and best regards to Chris, the desk manager.

"Now, hail us a cab, Riley." Ben ordered to Riley once they were outside in front of the curb.

"Is it because you want to see my skills of taxi summoning?" Riley replied, acting like the rich monopoly man.

Ben chuckled, "No, it's because I figured since you live here, you'd have the ability to obtain one quicker than we could."

"Basically it's the same thing as wanting to see me in action. You know, Washington D.C. has taxis too so what makes you less capable?" Riley retorted back to Ben.

"The taxis here are more reckless, while the drivers back home are less, which is why I figured you would have the better chance," Ben replied, not wanting to explain himself any longer.

"Would you boys knock it off?" Abigail announced as a taxi drove up adjacent to them, "During all that quarrelling, I decided to take it upon myself to flag us down some transportation."

"She's good…" Riley said under his breath so that only Ben could hear.

"You have no idea…" Ben replied, walking toward the cab before Riley could say anything more.

The drive to the airport took about forty-five minutes, which Riley expected, having planned earlier.

"So Ben, tell us the overall plan for this voyage." Abigail requested.

Ben sat back against the leather cushioned back of the taxi that exposed foam from random holes grabbing a folded sheet of paper from his back pocket, "Alright, listen to me carefully because I'm not sure how we're going to go about this. We're taking a plane right now at the International Airport Supls located a block or two from Central Park, to the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in South Carolina where we'll board a plane to the Jacksonville International Airport in Florida. Once we arrive, we're going to stay the night at the Hilton Garden Inn which is one quarter mile east of the airstrip. The next morning we'll board our flight to the Miami International Airport where lastly we'll embark on the Carnival cruise line for a 3-day journey to Jamaica where we'll make our way to Port Royal. Sound like a feasible plan?" Ben asked his companions, questionably.

Abigail nodded, regretting, somewhat, that she had requested for Ben to tell them the entire description of their plans.

Riley just smiled and turned his head toward the window, still trying to put the list of destinations in order in his mind.

Once they made it to the airport, they checked what little baggage they had, and headed for their terminal, being stopped by the security check only a few feet from the passenger terminal.

"Are you bringing with you any vegetation sir?" The security asked Riley, surveying his bag from behind the x-ray screen.

"Does it look like I would hide plants in my brand new leather jacket?" Riley asked sarcastically, receiving somewhat of a 'just keep going and shut up' push from Ben behind him

The security guard just smirked and let Riley pass while continuing his surveillance of Ben and Abigail's belongings, which were limited between the two.

After the confrontation with the guard Ben came up behind Riley and gave him a stare, "Do you want to raise suspicion?"

Riley, who seemed a little stand-offish to Ben at the moment, shook his head from left to right, clearly telling Ben he had got his point across.

"…now boarding flight 180 to Charlotte, South Carolina…" The lady on the intercom announced.

Passengers around the terminal began to head toward the loading platform as the flight attendant called rows and checked tickets.

It didn't take very long before they were on the plane, locating their seats, and being seated.

Ben had ordered them first class tickets, sparing no expense, "Do you like the seats?" he asked snobbishly.

Abigail giggled lightly, "Do you really think we're this good?"

Riley leaned his seat back a bit, "Oh yeah…" he said folding his arms behind his head.

"Um...Riley…all seats are supposed to be in full upright position." Abigail pointed out.

"Oh…yeah…" He shot back, a little red from embarrassment.


	10. Chapter X Flights

National Treasure II – Chapter Ten - "Flights"

Author's Note: I'm sorry its been quite a while since my last update, I've been working myself to death and preparing for a date ;) my mind has been bombarded with everything from work to pleasure I guess. Anyways, I'm back to give you some more updates and hopefully will continue at a regular pace.

As the plane edged its way over to the takeoff strip, Abigail, Ben, and Riley sat patiently waiting to begin their journey to South Carolina.

On takeoff, Abigail watched as the houses and other buildings slowly became smaller through the window.

Fifteen minutes later, Ben had fallen asleep, Abigail continuously watched out the window, and Riley enjoyed a movie from the back of the seat in front of him.

The whole excursion from New York to South Carolina in reality was not very long; however, it felt like hours on end for the group.

When they finally landed Riley woke Ben up, resisting the urge to scare him while he helped Abigail out of her seat.

"We're one step closer." Riley said, humorously mocking Ben, who was now fully awake.

"Yes, but we've got a few more steps to take." Ben replied, clearly ignoring Riley's ridiculing.

As they got off the plane, Riley looked at his watch, "We've got some time before our next flight, can we eat?"

Abigail and Ben laughed at Riley's eagerness, but agreed without argument as they too were both filled with hunger.

Within five minutes after ascending from the plane they sat at a nice enclosed restaurant called, 'Benny's' located adjacent to their next terminal.

They each ordered hotdogs and were now eating ravenously unaware of how hungry they really were.

"Ben, there is something I wanted to clarify about this whole expedition." Abigail announced to Ben, stuffing what was left of her hotdog into her mouth.

"Sure, we all should be on the same page anyways, go ahead." He replied calmly, also stuffing the remains of his food into his mouth.

After a moment of swallowing water, Abigail became a little more serious, leaning over the dull grey restaurant table towards both him and Riley, "The Knights Templar first knew of the treasure, than the Masons brought the treasure to America and we found it. This we all should know by now, however, whatever we're searching for shouldn't have anything to do with the Knights, don't you think?"

"Well, they were always shrouded in mystery and hid lots of valuable items through time, or so I read." Ben replied.

"Was their any particular items they were known for hiding?" Riley asked curiously, also finishing up his meal.

"Well, it is pure speculation, however, the items that makes them famous is the Holy Grail." Ben said to Riley, cleaning up his mess from lunch.

"Whoa, you mean the chalice from The Last Supper? You mean we might be on a quest leading us to the location of the Holy Grail?" Riley replied becoming overly excited, "Ben, I can see big dollar signs on this one."

"What would the Grail be doing in the Caribbean though? That whole scenario doesn't make any sense." Abigail pointed out, ruining Riley's excitement phase.

"You're right." Ben agreed, "There were other items, some myth and some legend. I once was told, not that I believe it, but that the Knights were once inhabitants of King Arthur's Castle. I never did believe the story though because of the lack of connections, although, I have been wrong before.

"Not recently." Riley retorted, laughing.

After eating they made it to their terminal and realized that once again the plane was boarding in the usual 'number of row' fashion.

The process was getting boring already between the three of them following through with the same routine.

When they landed at the Jacksonville International Airport they all felt like kissing land. Riley and Abigail quickly went to retrieve their luggage, while Ben rented a car.

What happened next would shock all of them terribly. As Ben walked casually to the Avis counter to rent their already ordered vehicle he notice someone familiar in the corner of his eye….Ian…

IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter is short for a good reason...I didn't want to elaborate all the boring flight information up until this point, now from here on out there will be more detail and everything as there was, I just figured all flying wouldn't be as interesting to write about.


	11. Chapter XI Trouble

National Treasure II – Chapter Eleven - "Trouble"

Author's Note: Got another chapter for you, as our adventurers continue on their journey. Hopefully you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. I also really enjoy your reviews so much. I read every single one of them. The last one I received regarding Port Royal's current condition is news to me really, however, this story is too far along in my mind to be able to fix anything, but I might be able to work around it.

Yes, it was Ian…

Ben quickly exited the line to the Avis rental car counter making his way swiftly toward the baggage claim that wasn't located far away.

Spotting Abigail and Riley, Ben kept his back toward Ian and made his way through the crowd towards his companions.

"Something wrong?" Abigail asked concerned as she turned around to face Ben.

"Look over my right shoulder." Ben stated.

As she followed through with Ben's request her eyes widen at the target, "Ian…"

Riley, who had been scouting out their luggage, turned around abruptly realizing what Abigail had said, "This is bad," he announced, stating the obvious, "What do we do?"

As Ben stood thinking while trying to conceal his identity Ian had approached the rental car counter with a few other people seemingly accompanying him, "Maybe the best thing we could do right now is hide."

"They are not going to fire on us in an airport," Abigail pointed out, but than hesitated, "are they?"

"Ian's not that rash…aside from the fact I doubt they were even aloud weaponry through security." Riley retorted sighing, returning once again to the carousel of suitcases behind him.

Fifteen minutes after Ian disappeared everyone could breathe a little more easily.

Riley had located and collected their luggage, Ben picked up their rental car, and Abigail helped put the baggage into the trunk of the vehicle.

Two miles away from JIA they found their hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn.

Tired, hungry, and shaken up from their voyage, they parked, checked in, took their belongings to their room, and advanced to the downstairs restaurant named, The Great American Grill.

While walking into the delightful open restaurant they realized it was a setting of natural wood seating with a casual dining essence.

"Freshly prepared American favorites in a relaxed setting," Riley announced as he read the illuminated sign under the eateries logo.

With the hustling of passing hostesses one quickly stopped in front of them and directed them to a lovely table next to a glass window overlooking the pool area which appeared vacant.

As they sat they ordered their drinks and remained silent for a few minutes until Ben spoke, "Seeing Ian is not a welcoming sign, however, it doesn't mean he knows exactly where we're heading only that we're en route to Jamaica."

What caused Ben to state this was the silence and he figured that Abigail and Riley's minds were dwelling on the fact they saw Ian. What Ben thought, was proven a few minutes later when Abigail spoke, "You're right, but we still don't know what we're chasing after, if it's even worth our time."

With nothing able to be said in response to Abigail's remark the silence remained upon the table until the server brought their drinks. Luckily, while in quiet time they all had a chance to overlook the menu and chose a certain item which they each ordered.

"Right now the only benefit of this trip will be the beach, bikinis, and women." Riley stated, leaning back in the hard wood seat," We're talking about the Caribbean baby…"

Abigail rolled her eyes and laughed, the mood once again was lighten by Riley's humor, "Who's to say we'll even get the chance to visit the beaches?"

Riley grinned, "Please don't ruin my fantasies."

"This is not a vacation Riley…" Ben stated, a little serious.

"If we don't find anything of importance we might as well make it one." Riley retorted, sipping his soda from the straw, "Bring out the Margaritas, Jamaican Steel Drums, and Island Women!"

A few short minutes later after receiving their food and watching Riley fall out of his chair the three of them began to eat.

It was well after 9pm when they left the dining hall to advance toward the elevator. The three of them were full and ready to sleep off their truly American style meals.

Once in the elevator they waited for the doors to close, but just before they could Riley caught a glimpse of Ian, who was advancing towards them, however, it looked as though he hadn't noticed them.

Riley quickly conferred with his companions about what he had just encountered as the elevator neared their floor.

"You don't think he looked us up in the registry, do you Ben?" Abigail asked, somewhat panicky.

"I would think he would have found us by now if that was the case. As far as he knows we could be further ahead of him or lagging behind. We haven't given him any reason to suspect we're here." Ben replied, trying to keep everyone calm as the elevator door quickly opened.

Now, they were eagerly trying to enter their room, jamming the card into the lock in order to conceal themselves from the open hallway. When the door opened they each pushed inside, now being able to let go of the stress from being able to be spotted in the corridor.

After taking a moment to recover, they all admired their room they finally were able to explore. There were 2 Double Beds, a chair with an ottoman, a hairdryer, a hand-held shower, a large work desk with lamp, 2 phones, each with 2 separate lines, a mini refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee maker, an iron, and an ironing board. Not to mention two full walk-in closets on either side of the room with a television between the 2.

It felt like a suite, although it wasn't. However, the mind's eye would have defiantly thought otherwise if they hadn't known the difference.

Riley was the first to plop down on the bed closest to the door, "I could get used to this…"

"Don't get too comfortable, it's only for one night." Ben replied giving Abigail a hug from behind.

"Please no, not any of that…" Riley replied, acting like he was being forced to watch an entire episode of 'I Love Lucy'. His acting of being tortured didn't last very long though as both Abigail and Ben grabbed pillows from their bed and threw them at Riley.

"These are mine now." Riley announced, grabbing the pillows and hugging them tightly.

Their fun lasted for ten minutes until everyone said they had to call it a night. A few things that were done before the lights were turned off consisted of Abigail's unscheduled shower she insisted upon taking that night, Riley's crossword puzzle he was committed to finish in the newspaper, and Ben's reading into his father's travel size book, 'Common Sense'. After completing their last minute tasks they shared their 'goodnights' and retired to sleep quickly without worry, until the next morning...


	12. Chapter XII Problem

National Treasure II – Chapter Twelve - "Problem"

Author's Note: First of all I would like to wish everyone a late 4th of July. I was hoping on getting this chapter out on the 4th of July, although things came up and I was incapable. My last reviews asking me for help in writing their fanfiction were very interesting. I tired e-mailing the person, however, it said that since my name was not on the list that I wouldn't be aloud to send the e-mail through, if you're the one who wrote the review please e-mail me at I would like to help you in your dilemma. The past few days I've been in the stage of the dreaded writer's block. I mean I know where my story is going and everything but it's difficult to come up with the pathway on getting their…lol, if you get me. Anyways, enjoy my 12th chapter. I apologize if you think it could probably be written better, I'd agree.

The next morning, Abigail, was the first awake. She was used to getting up early, mainly because of her job.

Although she was awake, she quickly realized that it was not for the same reason. As fast as she opened her eyes, she slid off the bed and grabbed the complementary alarm clock squinting to read its hands through her tired eyes.

Suddenly it hit her; they were going to miss their plane if they didn't leave now.

She quickly pulled both bed sheets off each bed, stunning both Ben and Riley.

"What's going on?" Riley asked, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"We didn't set the alarm clock last night. We're late to catch our plane." She replied, hurriedly throwing their very few belongings into Riley's old suitcases.

Ben's eyes widen as the horror of hands on the little clock reflected Abigail's words.

Without even thinking about it they all threw on their clothes from the previous day, hoping they would soon be able to go shopping for new apparel.

Once they were all prepared they rushed down the hall, without even taking in the possibility Ian could be anywhere in the building.

Luckily, once they made it to the lobby, they saw they were clear of running into him anytime soon.

"I'll get the car." Riley shot, grabbing the keys from Ben as they soared toward him in the air.

As Riley hurried outside, Ben and Abigail checked out and followed after him.

A few moments later they were back on the road toward the airport.

Back at the hotel, Ian gets off the elevator into the lobby and seats himself at the complementary Breakfast Bar.

Just as he makes himself some coffee more people come off the elevator and join him.

"What is our course of action?" One of the people asks. He was male with dark black hair as somewhat of a Tom Cruise appearance.

"Well Anthony, our course of action has always been the same. We're going to continue out journey to Port Royal, exactly like the inscription read in the science building." Ian replied, sipping the coffee.

"We don't even know if going is worth it." The lady member asks.

"I never asked you to help me, you all volunteered. My guess is because of my involvement with the Declaration of Independence and Templar's treasure you find it possible that their might be a reason to trust me. Now Ben was the reason I got as far as I did, that includes prison. However, he did find the treasure. We will continue searching for him once we land in Port Royal." Ian stated, so that every one of his new team members could understand clearly.

"When does our plane take off to Miami?" Another member asked, scooting their seat closer to the table.

"In two hours." Ian replied, taking yet another sip of his decaffeinated coffee.

Once Ben, Riley, and Abigail made it to the airport they quickly returned the rental car, check in their luggage, and flew down the airport's corridors, passing different terminals until they reached theirs.

As they stopped in front of it, out of breath and on the verge of collapsing, they heard the ticket verifier call for final boarding.

They quickly gave her their tickets and boarded the plane, sitting once again in the plane seats and finally being able to relax for the first time that morning.

"I swear, after all the plane flights I've taken my ass is going to shaped into a square." Riley said jokingly.

"If you had an ass," Ben retorted humorously.

After the plane took off for their last time until returning home Ben turned towards his companions and smiled, knowing he couldn't have gotten as far as he has alone.

"Hey Ben we could hijack this plane. It can't be any more difficult then stealing the Declaration." Riley said laughing.

"You know he's right." Abigail added giggling.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Ben replied, laughing.

Their last plane flight only lasted a few hours until they landed in Miami.

After once again going through the routine of the airport they caught a bus and headed for the ports in which the cruise ships were parked.

As they got off they spotted the great Royal Caribbean cruise liner they would be on for the rest of the voyage to the Caribbean.

Author's Note: I would also like to apologize for how short this chapter is, I figured you would want some more to the story and I was having a bit of writers block, I'm ok now but I wanted to update something to you…**I might add some more to this chapter later so check back**


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